Pneumatic tension-regulator for automatic musical instruments.



L H. MAIER.

PNEUMATIC TENSION REGULATOR FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2,19I5.

Patented Sept. 17, 1918.

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L. H. MAIER. PNEUMATIC TENSION REGULATOR FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED (JCT. 2. 1915.

1,279,388. Patented Sept. 17,1918.

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LOUIS H. MAIE'R, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PNEUMATIC TENSION-REGULATOR FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1'7, 1918.

Application filed October 2, 1915. Serial No; 53,665. F

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. MAIER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, borough of the Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Tension-Regulators for Automatic hlusical Instruments, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to improved means for regulating the action of pneumatic governors, and is particularly applicable for use in conjunction with pneumatic motors in automatic musical instruments utilizing perforated music sheets for controlling the op eration of the note sounding devices. In some wellknown constructions of pneumatic player mechanisms for musical instruments, a governor is interposed between a source of pneumatic exhaust and a pneumatic motor, for governing the speed of the motor, which governors are frequently made in bellows like form, having a spring to control the movement of the movable board of the bellows, which movable board is adapted to regulate the flow of air fromthe motor to the exhaust source according to the varying tension in such exhaust source. In such governors the tension of the aforesaid spring may be set to maintain a constant speed of motor at light tension or at high tension, but at intermediate tension such as tension between said light or high tension the motor is liable to increase in speed with a consequent increase of speed of travel of the perforated music sheet over the tracker bar. Such light, intermediate and high tensions are usually caused by the varying speeds of pumping to produce exhaust in the exhaust chamber, slow, medium and fast umping causing respectively light, interme iate and high exhaust tension in the exhaust chamber. An object of my invention is to provide improved means to govern or regulate the speed of the motor in accordance with the varying tension in the exhaust source, as well as in accordance with the varying load put upon the motor during propulsion of the music sheet across the tracker bar.

A further object of my invention is to enable the action of the governor to be controlled automatically in accordance withthe varying degrees of tensioning under which the sound operating devices are maintained, which tension determines the extent of resistance to the travel of the paper across the tracker bar as propelled by the motor, causing a varying load on the motor. Such varying load placed upon the motor is usually caused in accordance with the degree of exhaust at or through the tracker orifices over which the paper travels, tending to hold the paper more or less firmly against the tracker bar, acting as a resistance to the propulsion of the music sheet along the tracker by the motor.

My invention comprises novel details of improvement and combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein,

Figure 1 is a front view of a pneumatic governor equipped with my improvements for controlling the same;

Fig. 2 isa cross section substantially on the irregular line 2, 2, in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a cross section substantially on of a pneumatic player mechanism for musical instruments;

Fig. 8 is a detail view illustrating a sim plified form of parts shown in Fig. 7;

f Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of part of the pneumatic governor illustrated in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the expression governors shown in Fig. 7, and

Fig. 11 is a cross section of Fig. 10.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Views.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates, generally, a pneumatic governor shown in the form of an ordinary bellows comprising a block 2, a bellows 3, and movable board 4 hinged to the block at 5 in anordinary manner. At 6 is a spring shown adapted to nor mally expand the bellows, and as a convenient means for the purpose I have shown spring 6 connected at one end with a projection 7 extending from block 2 and connected at its other end by means of a screw 8 with a projection 9 extending from movable board 4, said screw being provided with be regulated. ll'ithin block 2 is a channel 11 connnunicating with a bellows port or nipple 12 that coacts with a piece of leather or the like on the movable board of the bellows, whereby the flow of air through said port is controlled. Channel 11 is shown provided with a tube 13 for connection..in a wellknown manner, with the source of exhaust A of the apparatus, such as through an exhaust chamber from which air is pumped in any well known manner in a player piano or the like. Block 2 is provided with a channel ll connnunicating by a port or passage 15 with the bellows, which channel 1 1 may be connected by a tube 16 with a motor whose speed is to be governed. At 17 is a valve slidable in channel ll, or an extension thereof, and adapted to control the flow of air through port 15 to the governor bellows, from the motor, a rod 18 connected with said valve and operated in any suitable manner being adapted to control the flow through port- 15. Instead of port 12 the well known knife governorvalve or any suitable equivalent may be used. The foregoing parts may be of any well known construction, whereby an exhaust is maintained from the governor bellows through channel 11, and the degree of tension in the motor may be regulated according to the amount of air permitted to pass from the bellows through port 12. a

In accordance with my improvements, in addition to spring 6 I provide one or more pneumatics 20, the stationary boards 21 of such pneumatics 20 being shown supported by block 2 on the governor pneumatic. The movable boards 22 of said pneumatics, shown united on one board pivotally carried at 22". are adapted to resistthe action of projection 9 of the movable board l of the governor bellows, or any other suitable projection or part thereof, (as illustrated in Fig. 6) under heavy pumping or exhaust, it being understood that such pneumatic is normally maintained collapsed or under exhaust tension as hereinafter explained. To regulate orcontrol the time or point at which pneumatic 20 will be operated or expanded by the g0ver nor pneumatic, I have shown an adjustable stop 23, carried by an extension 22 of the movable board of pneumatic 20. adapted to be engaged by a projection 9, which stop is shown provided in the nature of a screw, threaded in the projection 22, and for convenience having a head 23 provided with a pad 24: to receive projection 9. To regulate the extent of collapse of pneumatics 20. as well as the relation of stop 23 to projection E), I have shown an adjustable stop car ricd by projection 22, adapted to engage the block 2 carrying the pneumatics 20. whereby the pneumatics 20 may be maintained more or less normally open while under exhaust tension. By this means variation in the position of the movable boards of the pnernnatics 20 with relation to their stationary boards. while said pncumatics are under exhaust, may be regulated and main tained for a desired resistance to the movable board at of the governor bellows.

The spring 6 may be set with such tension that the motor may run at constant speed under light and medium exhaust through the governor bellows or pneumatic, and the governor tensioning pneumatics 20 may be under such tension, that, when projection 9 engages stop 23 of the last named pneumatics, and tends to expand the latter, during high tension in the exhaust source, the resistance of pneumatic 20 will be added to the resistance of spring 6, tending to resist the closing of board l of the governor bellows against port 12, whereby the extent or degree of exhaust from the motor through the governor bellows may be regulated or controlled to permit the motor to run s'ubstantially the same speed as under low or medium exhaust conditions, notwithstanding the "increased suction at such time through the tracker orifices against the music sheet and irregularity in iunnping.

I have provided means whereby the exhaust in pneuinatics 20 may be the same as that in the exhaust source or chamber connected with the governor pneumatic or such exhaust tension as may be in the player pneumatic valve chest or a division thereof, whereby as the exhau. in the governor pneumatic or bellows 1 varies, the exhaust in pneumatics 20 may be the same as in. the exhaust source through passage 11, or may be caused to accord with the tension in player pneumatic valve-chest 25, or a division thereof where such chest is div'dcd in a wellknown manner. In case chest 25 is divided, say, into three divisions for bass, tenor and treble respectively, such divisions relating to or controlling the bass, tenor and treble notes ofthe piano or musical instrument, I preferably provide three pneumatics 20, all adapted to be engaged by the governor pneumatic 1, such three pneumatics 2O bearing a relation to'each other proportionately to the relative number of notes in each division of chest 25, so that if exhaust is reduced in only one chest division, the exhaust of the pneumatic 20 corresponding thereto will be reduced proportionately. In Fig. 7 I have illustrated three small pneumatics or bellows 20 for resisting operation of the movable board of the governor pneumatic. the valve chest 25 being provided with divisions 25 25", 25 connected by tubes 26, 2'7, 28 with a corresponding pneumatic 20. whereby the tension in such divisions of chest 25 will be the same in a corresponding pneumatic 20. The striker or player-action pneumatics 29 are connected with the-valve chest in an ordinary or suitable manner, the

air passing through the note perforations of the perforated music sheet 30, and

thence through the corresponding orifices of tracker bar 31 and tube 32 to the valve of the striker pneumatic, operating in an ordinary manner. As the resistance to the travel of the perforated note sheet 30 across the tracker bar is proportional to the exhaust or suction through the tracker orifices and tubes 32, and in valve chest 25, which in turn, under normal conditions, is the same as the tension in the main exhaust source or chamber, it will be apparent that when high exhaust tension is produced in the exhaust source or chamber, as by rapid pumping, the exhaust in chest 25 will correspond. Such exhaust through tubes 32 and the tracker orifices has a tendency to resist or retard the travel of the music sheet over the tracker, hence requiring greater power.

in the motor to propel such sheet than during light or medium pumping. If at such time the movable board 4 of the governor bellows or pneumatic should close port 12 too much, the exhaust from the motor will be reduced to too great an extent, and the speed of travel of the music sheet over the tracker will be reduced, but by maintaining in the pneumatic or pneumatics 20 a degree of exhaust substantially the same as that in chest 25, said pneumatic or pneumatics 20, by aiding spring 6 in resisting closing of port 12 by the movable board of the governor bellows, permits a sufficient flow proportional to the added resistance on the music sheet from the motor through the goy ernor bellows to permit the motor to propel the music sheet, substantially the same as at light or medium exhaust, hence enabling the motor to propel the music sheet 30 over the tracker at substantially a constant speed under all degrees of exhaust in the exhaust source or chamber. Vhen the exhaust in one of the divisions of valve chest 20 is modified, for the purpose of producing desired expression as in the bass, tenor or treble, or one or more of them, exhaust in the corresponding pneumatic 20 is correspondingly modified or reduced, whereby the resistance of pneumatic 20 to movement of the movable board 4 of the governor bellows or pneumatic is correspondingly reduced during high exhaust in the exhaust source, hence enabling such governor to maintain under such conditions required exhaust in the motor, to keep the latter running at constant speed, which in turn is in proportion to the reduced suction action through tubes 32 and the tracker orifices connected with such division or divisions of chest 25.

The pneumatic or pneumatics 20 may be made in such proportion with respect to the governor bellows or pneumatic 1 that the resistance of such pneumatic or pneumatics 20, added to the resistance of spring 6 after 1 source or chamber.

. the governor bellows has been subjected to sion desired in the musical compositionbeing rendered, the divisions 25, 25",25 of chest 25' areconnected by tubes 33, 34, 35 with means to regulate orcontrol the exhaust through said tubes to the exhaust For this purpose I have shown pneumatics 37 38, 39 having springs 40 to cause their normal expansion in a usual manner, which pneumatics communicate through ports 41 with a chest 42, which is to be connected by tube 43 (Fig. 11) with the source of exhaust. The stationary boards of said pneumatics have a passage 44 communicating with the pneumatic and with chest 42, which passages communicate with a corresponding tube 33, 34, 35, ports 45 providing communication between the passages 44 and chest 42, a valve 46 is shown carried by a diaphragm 47 which is adapted to close the corresponding port 45 byengaging a seat thereat. Under the diaphragm 47 of pneumatic 37 isaspace 48 for communication by a tube 49 with tube 5O, (Figs. 1, 2 and 7), and a similar tube 49 isprovided for each of the pneumatics 38,

'39 to be connected with the corresponding tube, 51 and 52. The tube communicates by a suitable channel with a passage or chamber 53 in a block or board 54 shown sephragm 56, is a chamber 58 under constant exhaust, through a bore 65 in constant communication with channel 11, as through the chamber 66 which communicates with said channel. The stem 59 of valve opposes a diaphragm 60 the space under which is open to the passage 61 in board 54*. The bleed opening at 62 provides constant communication between chamber 58 and chan nel 61. A similar construction of perforated valves, channels, etc., pertains to each of the tubes 50, 51 and 52 corresponding to pneumatics 37 38 and 39. A tube 63 is connected with each channel 61 and with a suitable corresponding apertured plug or the like 64 normally open to atmosphere and ananged upon a suitable convenient part of the instrument. Atmosphere normally entering through one of the tubes (33 from its plug (it causes diaphragm or pouch 60 to be lifted, whereby stem 59 pushes valve 55 to its upper seat, permitting the an to be drawn from chamber 48 through tube 49, thence through tube 50, passage 53 and through perforated valve 55, into chest 58, thence through bore 65 to passage 11, thereby causing valve 4:6 to be retained away from seat 45, allowing free flow of air through tube 33 (or tube 34: or 35) from the corresponding division of valve chest 25to the exhaust source through tube 43. To'modify the tension in any ofthe divisions of the valve chest, air is shut otf from the corresponding plug (i-l, as by applying the finger of the operator to said plug, whereupon exhaust in chamber 58 through bleed 62 allows valve 55 to be unseated from channel 53 and to be returned to its opposing seat 53, thereby allowing atmosphere from channel 57 to pass over valve 55 through channel 53, tubes 50 and 49, and the chamber 48 to cause the raising of diaphragmi' and the seating of valve 46 against port .45, thereby shutting off the flow from tube 33 (or 3t or 35) direct to exhaust pipe 43, and causing such air. to flow through channel ll into and thence through the correspondingpneumatic 37, 38 or 39 into chest 42 an amount in proportion to the strength of spring 40, and thence through exhaust pipe l3. The movable boards ofthe pneumatics 37, 38 or 39 thus collapse in accordance with the resistance of its spring 40, whereby a reduced tension is maintainedin the corresponding d ision of the valve chest, whereby also such reduced tension inthe valve chest is maintained through the corresponding tube 26, 27 or 28 in the corresponding pneumatic 20, thereby presenting a correspondin reduced resistance to the movement oi the movable board of the governor pneumatic under high pumping. Instead of the perforated valve 55 shown herein, it will be understood that other well known forms of valves for the same purpose may be used, such as a puppet valve.

In Figs. l and 5 the movable board 45 of the governor pneumatic is illustrated in positions it occupies under low or medium tension in the exhaust source or chamber, with the projection Snot coacting with pneumatics 20, whereas in Fig. 6 the position of projection 9 is indicated with the governor pneumatic under high exhaust tension in such source, illustrating the projection 9 in contact with stop 23 to cause expansion. more or less, of the penumatics 20, which expansion acts against the free collapsing movement of the movable board of the governor pneumatic. If the plugs 64 are open to atmosphere, full exhaust through the valve chest and the pneumatics :20 will resist movement of board 4; of the governor pneumatic, whereas it modified tension is in one or more of the divisions of the valve chest, by reason of closing one or more plugs (34, a correspondingly modified resistance of the pneumatics 20 against the movement of board ot the governor pneumatic will compcnsate for the reduction of exhaust in chest 25 and theconsequcnt reduction of retardation to propulsion of the music sheet over the tracker by reason of the thus reduced suction on the music sheet through the tubes It will be understood that under the last named conditions it is desirable to prevent undue speed in the motor, hence when reduction of tension through one or more divisions of the valve chest is produced under the music sheet 30, and a corresponding reduction of tension is made in the corresponding pneumatic or pneumatcis 20, the movable board l, of the governor pneumatic 1 is thereby permitted to close theport 12 to a desired degree to reduce exhaust in the m0- tor. thereby preventing the same from speeding up and propelling the music sheet too rapidly.

It will be understood that in an automatic musical instrument of the class referred to provided with a divided valve chest. and wherein the pneumatics 20 are connected dircct to the source of exhaust instead of to the respective divisions of the valve chest, as herein illustrated, a reduction of tension in one or more of the divisions of the valve chest, resulting in reduced resistance to the travel of the music sheet across the tracker, would not serve to properly prevent speeding up of the motor at such time. In such. case the exhaust in the pneumatics 20 would be in accordance with the tension in the exhaust source and not relative to the exhaust degree in the divisions of the valve chest and under the music sheet at the tracker orifices, under which conditions the motor would gain in speed, with a consequent increased travel of the music sheet across the tracker as against the time when the divisions of the valve chest were under the same tension as the exhaust source.

If an automatic musical instrument of the class described is constructed on simple lines without a divided valve chest, and in which case the entire valve chest is reduced in exhaust, asby means of connection through a pipe 33 to a reducing pneumatic, such as 37 then in such case a single pneumatic 20 may be used for coaction with the movablc'board 4- of the governor pneumatic and connected by a single pipe 26 with the single valve chest 25, illustrated in Fig. 8, whereby the pneumatic 20 will-always be maintained under the same tension as in chest The reducing pneumatic 37 in such case may be arranged for operation in the manner described in conjunction with the corresponding parts shownin Figs. 2 and 7.

In an automatic musical instrument in which the tension in the valve chest is al- 'ays the same as in the exhaust source, and the instrument is provided with a usual hammer-throw reduction-means for expression, instead of: utilizing an exhaust reduction means, such as 37, the tube 26 may be connected directly to the exhaust source instead of being connected with the valve chest, or, if preferred, maybe connected with the valve chest, whereby the tension in such exhaust source or in such chest will be the same at all times in pneumatic 20, for resisting the movement of the movable board 4 of the governor pneumatic in'the manner before described. Such'connection of pneumatic 20 with the exhaust sourceof valve chest may be utilized, because the resistance to travel of the perforated sheet across the tracker, by reason of suction at the tracker orifices, is not reduced below the tension in the exhaust source, but'is the same as that degree which is maintained in the exhaust source.

If an automatic musical instrument of the class described is constructed on simple lines without a divided valve chest, a single pneumatic 20 may be used for coaction with the movable board 4- of the governor pneumatic, which single pneumatic 20 may be connected by a single pipe 26 with the single valve chest 25, as illustrated in Fig. 8, the tube 33 leading to a tenslon reducing pneumatic, such as 37, arranged for operation in the manner described in conjunction with the corresponding parts shown in Fig. 2, or the tube 33 may lead direct to the exhaust in a wellknown manner, in which latter case it is usual to use hammer throw reduction means for expression, and in such case the tube 26 can be connected to any point of the exhaust source, instead of being connected with such exhaust through valve chest 25. In such case the tension of the exhaust source will always be maintained the same in pneumatic 20.

The parts 67 and 67 are designed for use in connection with rerolling of the music sheet but need not be further explained.

In Figs. 2 and 3 I have illustrated a bleed 12 providing communication between the interior of the governor bellows and the port 12, serving to supply air from the bellows to the port to prevent absolute shutting oil of communication from the bellows to said different character of valve, as, for instance,

a wellknown slide valve, a bleed providing communication in the manner stated between the interior of thebellows and the exhaust source is not'absolutely necessary.

Having now described my invention what I claim is 1. A regulator of the'class described comprising a governor having a movable member, a pneumatic adapted to coact with said member to resistmovement of the latter in one direction, means to maintain constant exhaust tension in said pneumatic during playin and means to vary the tension in the pneumatic. I

2. A regulator of the class described comprising a governor having a movable me1nher, a pneumatic adapted to coact with said member to resist movement of the latter in one direction, a valve chest in continued means to vary the tension in said chest and a pneumatic.

3. A regulator of the class described comprising a governor having a movable member, a plurality of pneumatics adapted to coact with said memberto resist movement of the latter in one direction, means to maintain exhaust tension in such pneumatios, and means to vary the exhaust tension in either of said neumatics. I

4. A regulator of the class described comprising a governor having a movable member, a plurality of pneumatics adapted to coact with said member to resist movement of the latter in one direction, a valve chest having divisions, means providing communication between said pneumatics and said divisions of said chest respectively, means to maintain exhaust in said divisions of said chest, and means to vary the tension in either of said chests to cause similar variation of tension in the corresponding pneumatic.

5. A tension regulator forautomatic musical instruments comprising a governor having a movable member, a pneumatic to coact with said member to resist operation thereof in one direction, a valve chest, means providing continued communication between said chest and pneumatic, striker-pneumatics controlled by exhaust through said chest, and a tracker bar having orifices communicating with said striker pneumatics, whereby exhaust tension in said chest is maintained in said first named pneumatic during playing to correspondingly resist operation of the movable member of said governor.

6. A tension regulator for automatic musical instruments comprising a governor having a movable member, a plurality of pneumatics to coact with said member to resist operation thereof in one direction, a valve chest having divisions, means providing communication between the divisions of said chest and said pneumatics respectively, striker pneumatics controlled by exhaust through the divisions of said chest, a tracker bar having orifices communicating with said striker pneumatics, and means to vary the exhaust. tension in said divisions of said chest whereby the exhaust tension in each of said chests is maintained in the corresponding pneumatic to correspondingly resist operation of the movable member of said governor.

7. A regulator of the class described comprising a governor pneumatic having a movable member and a port to be controlled thereby for communication with a source of exhaust, a spring to resist movement of said member under exhaust in said pneumatic, a plurality of pneumatics, a divided Valve chest, means providing communication between the divisions of the valve chest'and th corresponding pneumatic of said plurality of pneumaties. means providing communication between said valve chest and said source of exhaust, and means to at Will vary the tension in the divisions of said chest to'thereby correspondingly vary the tension of the corresponding second named pneumatic to cause varied resistance to the movement of said member against the tension of said spring.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New Yori, and State of New York, this 1st day of October, A. D. 1915.

LOUIS H. MAIER;

Witnesses MARIE F. WAINRIGHT, T; F. BOURNE;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissionenof Patents,

Washington, D. 0. a 

